Comparison of suitability of dogs and cats as hosts of Echinococcus multilocularis.

The suitability of dogs and cats as hosts of Echinococcus multilocularis was studied in animals which had each been infected orally with approximately 15,000 protoscolices. Twenty-one days after injection, the mean number of immature worms recovered from 12 dogs was 874.7 and from 12 cats was 101.7. The mean length of the worms was 1.21 mm in dogs and 1.00 mm in cats. The number and length of worms recovered from dogs were significantly greater (alpha = 0.01).